Callan Rydz has spoken out against vile online trolls after receiving disgraceful abuse in the wake of his grandfather’s tragic passing and World Championship exit, as the darts community rallies around the emotional Englishman.
The 27-year-old from Bedlington faced one of the darkest moments of his career when internet trolls attacked him following his third-round defeat to Josh Rock at Alexandra Palace on December 29. Just days earlier, Rydz had received the heartbreaking news that his grandfather had passed away—only hours after his emotional second-round victory over Daryl Gurney.
Despite his devastating personal loss, Rydz bravely decided to continue in the tournament, a decision that drew both admiration and, shockingly, cruel mockery from keyboard warriors who showed zero compassion for the grieving player.
“Why Show Up Then?”
The abuse reached a sickening low when Rydz shared his grief on social media. After posting a moving tribute to his grandfather—”There’s not enough words to say. RIP grandad. I’ll promise to try my best to make you and grandma proud up there. I love you”—one user responded with three poo emojis under his name.
When another fan rightly called out the troll for their lack of compassion, the abuser doubled down with a response that sent shockwaves through the darts community: “Why show up then?”
Rydz later shared screenshots of the abuse in a now-deleted Instagram story, highlighting the cruel treatment he’d endured at one of the most vulnerable moments of his life.
The comment struck a raw nerve across the sport. For many, the fact that Rydz stepped onto the Ally Pally stage at all—playing through unimaginable grief—was a testament to his character, professionalism, and dedication to both the sport and his family’s memory.
A Heart Laid Bare on Stage
Throughout the World Championship, Rydz had been visibly struggling with the emotional weight of his grandfather’s declining health. The Englishman, known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, didn’t hide his pain.
“I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m struggling,” Rydz admitted after his second-round win over Gurney. “It’s hard when you have stuff going on back home. I came here to try and forget about it. It’s hard. I play for my family. I’ve got a job to do and thankfully I got through. I have too much stuff going on back home. I hear the crowd sing my name and I smile. But I wish I was home.”
His words painted a picture of a man torn between professional duty and personal anguish—a player who showed up not because he wanted to be there, but because he felt he owed it to his family and the sport they’d introduced him to.
Rydz also spoke poignantly about his cherished Christmas traditions with his grandfather, who had been watching the Gurney match from his hospital bed. “Christmas Day, we have a tradition, if my grandad is OK, we will go to the pub. Have a laugh with the lads. Then have dinner,” he explained. “I normally go out on his mobility scooter, driving round Bedlington like an idiot. I put it on the high and fast mode and fly around everywhere.”
Those traditions, which had defined his Christmases for years, would never be the same again.
The Retirement Question
In the days leading up to his grandfather’s passing, Rydz had been candid about his future in the sport. Speaking after the Gurney win, he revealed that retirement was very much on his mind.
“We are preparing for this to be the last Christmas,” Rydz said, his voice heavy with emotion. “I will go home now, see how the big man is. Listen once he goes, I will probably consider packing it in. Probably. But I don’t know. I have a decision if I want to keep doing it.”
He added: “I play for my family. My grandma, granddad, my mum, they got us into darts. Everything I do is for them.”
The darts world now waits to see what decision “The Riot” will make about his future. For a player who has reached two World Championship quarter-finals (2022 and 2025) and won three PDC ranking titles, retirement at 27 would represent a heartbreaking premature end to a promising career.
A Pattern of Tragedy
The pain of the 2026 World Championship was made even more devastating by cruel timing. This marked the second consecutive year that Rydz had faced family tragedy during the tournament—he lost his grandmother shortly before the 2025 Championship.
For a player who credits his family as the driving force behind everything he does in darts, these back-to-back losses during the sport’s biggest event have created an almost unbearable association between the World Championship and personal grief.
Rock’s Class in Adversity
While online trolls showed Rydz zero compassion, his opponent Josh Rock demonstrated the sportsmanship and humanity that the abusers lacked. After his 4-1 victory, which sent him through to the last 16, Rock was quick to put the result in perspective.
“It was in the back of my mind [during the game]—I want to say sorry to Callan and his family for their loss of his grandad,” the Northern Irishman said. “I’m here to do a job, I’ve done my job, but I want to send my condolences to his family.”
Rock’s words stood in stark contrast to the vile abuse Rydz received online. The World Cup champion’s respectful acknowledgment of his opponent’s pain showed the kind of character that represents the best of professional darts.
Earlier in the tournament, Daryl Gurney had also shown tremendous support for Rydz. “Daryl has been one of the only lads who knows what has been going on back home with my grandad,” Rydz revealed emotionally. “He has been messaging me, asking if I’m okay. I am getting emotional thinking about it. I don’t know what to say.”
The contrast couldn’t be more clear: professional players showing empathy and respect; anonymous trolls showing cruelty and contempt.
The Dark Side of Social Media
The abuse directed at Callan Rydz once again exposes the ugly underbelly of social media in sports. Behind every player on that stage is a human being with emotions, families, grief, and struggles—something that’s far too easily forgotten by those hiding behind anonymous accounts.
For many fans, Rydz’s decision to compete despite his grandfather’s passing was heroic. He produced moments of excellent darts—including spectacular 167 checkouts against Gurney—while carrying a weight of grief that would have crushed most people.
The fact that anyone could mock him for showing up—for having the courage to honor his grandfather’s memory by doing what his family got him into darts to do—reveals a stunning lack of basic human decency.
A Career at a Crossroads
Rydz’s professional achievements speak to the talent that could be lost if he decides to walk away. His 2022 World Championship run was particularly impressive—he reached the quarter-finals as the top Pro Tour Order of Merit qualifier, whitewashing Yuki Yamada, Brendan Dolan, and Nathan Aspinall before narrowly losing 5-4 to Peter Wright after leading 3-1.
At the 2025 World Championship, he produced one of the best first-round performances in tournament history, averaging 107 and breaking Luke Littler’s record for the highest first-round average. He went on to defeat Martin Schindler and Dimitri van den Bergh before eliminating Robert Owen to reach his second World Championship quarter-final.
These are the accomplishments of a player with genuine world-class potential—someone who could achieve far more in the sport if he chooses to continue.
But darts is just a game. Family is everything.
The Darts Community Responds
The overwhelming response from genuine darts fans has been one of support and solidarity. Social media—the same platform that enabled the abuse—has also been filled with messages defending Rydz and condemning those who mocked his grief.
Many pointed out the obvious: that Rydz showing up at all, in his emotional state, demonstrated incredible strength. Playing through grief of that magnitude, on the biggest stage in darts, while the whole world watches, requires a level of courage that keyboard warriors could never comprehend.
Others noted that the abuse likely came from those who had lost bets on Rydz—people more concerned with their own financial losses than with the very real, very human loss that the player was experiencing.
What Happens Next?
As of now, Callan Rydz has not made a final public announcement about his future in professional darts. The decision he faces is one of the most difficult any athlete can confront: whether to continue in a sport that has brought him success but is now inextricably linked with some of the most painful moments of his life.
If he chooses to retire, the darts world will lose a talented player, a genuine character, and someone who represented the best values of the sport—honesty, emotion, and authenticity. But more importantly, Rydz will have prioritized his mental health and wellbeing over a game, a decision that no one should criticize or question.
If he chooses to continue, he’ll do so knowing that the vast majority of the darts community supports him, respects him, and will rally around him during what remains an incredibly difficult time.
Whatever Callan Rydz decides, one thing is certain: he owes nothing to the trolls who abused him. He owes nothing to those who mocked his grief. And he certainly owes nothing to anyone who questioned why he showed up in the first place.
He showed up because he’s a professional. He showed up because he loves the sport his family introduced him to. He showed up to make his grandfather proud.
And that—regardless of what happens next—is something to be celebrated, not ridiculed.
The Bigger Picture
The incident raises uncomfortable questions about the culture surrounding modern sports. When did it become acceptable to abuse athletes online? When did empathy become optional for those who consider themselves fans?
Professional darts players are remarkably accessible compared to athletes in other sports. They engage with fans on social media, sign autographs freely, and create content that brings supporters closer to the sport. But that accessibility shouldn’t come at the cost of basic human decency.
Callan Rydz didn’t owe anyone an explanation for his emotional state. He didn’t owe anyone a performance. He didn’t owe anyone anything beyond his best effort under impossible circumstances—and he gave that.
The trolls who abused him should be ashamed. But more importantly, they should be a reminder to all of us: there’s a real person behind every social media post, every interview, every walk to the oche.
And sometimes, that person is barely holding it together.
For Callan Rydz, the coming weeks and months will determine whether he continues his darts career or walks away from the sport entirely. Either choice would be completely understandable.
But whatever he decides, the darts community—the real darts community, not the trolls hiding in the shadows—will be there to support him.
Because that’s what real fans do.
The PDC has not yet released any official statement regarding Rydz’s future. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available about his decision.
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